Everyone needs a time out… not just my kids. Thank you for all your thoughtful, insightful and uplifting emails and notes since my last posting. I am stepping back into the ring and back in the fight.
So let’s spend some time updating on the goings on in the Giliberto house… other than the obvious; market is in the toilet, not sure who Paul’s employer will be (Citi vs Wells) I have a quarter to toss for anyone who wants to gamble. Then of course, heads or tails, we will face the illusive question of post merger job status – oh the joys, Christmas has come early! Well, Atlanta did finally get our gas, and the beast in the driveway is now full and ready to roll once momma is fully weaned off the Keppra (anti-seizure meds).
Cooper had his follow up with the Eye Dr. and we will be scheduling surgery to fix the eye muscle to correct the lazy eye. 70% of cases are fixed with one surgery, and 30% need another touch up, but we are confident with our little pirate. Surgery date TBD, so stay posted. Our pirate revolted against the patch in the past week and no amount of bribes made any impact, so we are now using eye drops (applied when he is sleeping to avoid battles) to strengthen his sight, the second issue with his eye.
Tucker is great, still loves the bus, school and making friends left and right. We have his first parent-teacher conference tomorrow, so this should be insightful. Since he never seems to “remember” what he does each day, we will get the goods first hand and get the real story.
Cooper, aside from his eye, is doing great as well. Eating us all under the table, I fear for our budget once he hits his teens, is honing his negotiating skills, loving pre-school and talking up a storm with much animation and hand motion.
As I alluded to above, I am weaning off of the Keppra and will be done at the end of next week. The dizziness and “off” feelings are getting better each day and other than some pain at the incision site usually at the end of the day and headaches in the evening and on bad weather days, I am happy to soon be free of the meds.
I failed to write about the great time I had with Sarah last week. Sarah, a fabulous friend from college (Purdue) and sorority sister, flew from Tucson, AZ to be with us for 5 days. Sarah and her husband Brian are designated in our wills as guardians for the kids if we should be “hit by the beer truck”, so clearly they are very special to us and the kids LOVE them. She shuttled me around town, bringing Cooper to school, grocery shopping, running errands, took the kids to the parks in the afternoon so I could nap, and did some laundry for us! We spent most nights in my bed watching TV, laughing a lot and loudly, catching up and reliving random stories in our PJ’s… a total throwback to college. Paul slept on the couch in the family room, half watching TV himself until Sarah woke him up and sent him to bed on her way upstairs. Her visit was amazing and it was so hard to say goodby. Thank you, Sarah.
Found a hair stylist through the ever reliable mom referral word of mouth system and I have seen his work, and he has great talent… even better, he comes to your house!! Since I have not had a hair cut or color since early summer, gasp… I know – the horror! Hey, I’m cheap… why spend money when I had no idea what hair I would be left with! My look is now approaching the trashy early 80’s look and I am looking forward to his magic… stay posted!
Still taking naps everyday, but I am itching to start working out, so I am going to start hitting my eliptical in my office and hopefully getting back to kickboxing in a few weeks and beat the crap out of the 150lb bag and maybe spend some time in the ring.
Thought that I would share the quote in my “Mom Agenda” from the week of my surgery: “We are made to persist. That is how we find out who we are.” Tobias Wolff
Damn if that is not true… be strong everyone. As I tell Paul every night as we deal with the chaos of the market, his job, etc… If we can survive and live through my battle, we can survive a market crisis and anything else life has to throw at us. Keep it all in check and maintain your perspective, there is always someone going through something worse.
Be strong, keep your head up and fight the good fight. That is what we are doing everyday.
Catch y’all later…
GREY MATTER LIFE 